The Russian Geographical Society announces the start of the selection of participants in the session of the ecological and educational camp of the «Nature Reserve Management of the RGS» project in Shorsky National Park. A team of volunteers will explore the nature of this amazing corner of the Kemerovo Region, improve the protected area, create materials to highlight the activities of the reserve, as well as get acquainted with the historical and cultural heritage of the region. The session will take place from June 3 to 11, and you can apply until April 20.
Shorsky National Park was founded in December 1989 in the south of the Kemerovo Region in order to preserve and restore the unique natural complexes and facilities of Gornaya Shoria. The total area of the territory is 414,306 hectares. The Abakan and Biyskaya Griva Ranges separate it from Khakassia and Gorny Altai. The highest elevations are Kubez Mountain (1,555 m) and Lysukha Mountain (1,648 m). The main waterway is the Mrassu River, its length within the boundaries of the park is 181 km.
To participate in the session of the «Nature Reserve Management of the RGS» project in Shorsky National Park, volunteers are required in the following areas: scientific, environmental, and media. Members of the scientific subgroup will identify plants, compile a geobotanical description of the territory, keep records of vertebrates and invertebrates, and collect a collection of photographic materials about flora and fauna. Eco-volunteers will be engaged in landscaping: they will prepare recreational infrastructure facilities of ranger stations and ecological trails for the tourist season. A media volunteer will cover the expedition in the media and social networks.
As an organized leisure activity, the national park offers daily ecological and educational classes for volunteers, rafting on the Mrassa River with overnight camping, visiting the Grandioznaya Cave, Kabuksky Karst Spring, and a number of other attractions.
Gornaya Shoria. Photo: Maksim Tokarev, participant of the Russian Geographical Society's "The Most Beautiful Country" contest
Session dates: from June 3 to June 11, 2025.
Meeting place of the session participants: city of Novokuznetsk.
Objectives: collection of data on flora and fauna in the vicinity of recreational facilities, landscaping, and media coverage.
Conditions: accommodation in wooden houses, one night, in tents. You will be cooking for yourself.
We are looking for scientific volunteers: specialists in geography, biology, ecology, botany, ethnography, as well as environmental and media volunteers.
Requirements for participants: ages 18 and up, readiness for physical work, discipline, ability to work in a group. Media volunteers must transfer the footage (including the original and edited videos) to the RGS within the time period specified by the curator of the project, while preserving copyrights. To participate in the project, you must fill out a competitive selection application.
Proven experience in catamaran sailing and water rafting on the routes of the 1st or 2nd category of difficulty are especially welcome (the river section is uncomplicated, but there are obstacles of the 1st and 2nd categories: rifts, rapids).
Vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis and insurance are mandatory.
To participate in the project, you must fill out a competitive selection application by April 20.
The winners of the competitive selection will be provided with accommodation, meals, a transfer from the meeting location to the place of work and back, souvenirs, and an eco-educational program. Please note that the trip to the meeting location of the group is paid by the participant themselves.
Details can be found on the website of the Youth Movement of the Russian Geographical Society.